The Late Bloomer
by mnementh9999
Summary: A very short fic I wrote when waiting for the fifth book to come out.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_A Summer of Surprises_

"Harry Potter!"

The cry came careening up the stairs of Number 4 Privet Drive. It was the start of summer vacation, and Harry was freshly returned to the Dursleys from his fourth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had been a miserable week. The Dursleys were not at all happy to have him back. In their opinion, he was a freak. No mention of magic or Hogwarts was allowed in their house, and Harry was routinely punished for the crime of simply existing. Harry sighed and, with a definite glumness, went downstairs to see what the Dursleys had in store for him today.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said, facing his uncle across the table. Petunia was serving Vernon and Dudley breakfast, and Dudley was looking forlornly at his fathers' plate. Vernon had decided as soon as Dudley had got back from Smeltings, that the diet the whole family was on last summer was going to have to go. Dudley, who was still bigger than a good-sized cow, was still having grapefruit for breakfast. Petunia gestured to a plate with a much smaller portion of grapefruit on it for Harry.

"I'll have none of your usual larking about this summer, boy," Vernon had growled as soon as Harry had stepped into the house after arriving a week ago. He had meant it, too, even as Harry protested that he never larked. Vernon seemed intent to punish Harry for the Ton Tongue Toffee incident of last year. He looked furiously at Harry this particular morning.

"I will be putting you to work cleaning out the shed today. Well! Get to it!" yelled Vernon. Harry went outside, and began the task of stacking Dudley's bikes, organizing the gardening tools, and all the various other things that needed to be done.

Over the next two months, Harry was put to task gardening and doing housework for Petunia, cleaning the basement and doing repairs on the house for Vernon, and being the usual attempted target as a punching bag for Dudley. Harry was hard to catch, though. He was the seeker on the house Quidditch team at school, and if he was quick enough to avoid a bludger, he was more that quick enough to avoid Dudley and his gang. Harder to avoid, though, was his uncle. Small things were happening, which Harry could not readily explain to his uncle. The Dursley's had taken every precaution to keep Dudley from sneaking sweets up to his room, but Petunia kept finding them there. Since they could not have gotten there by themselves, and since they knew Dudley was not bringing them, Harry must be at fault. Anything unexplainable was Harry's fault.

"I don't know how they got there!" Harry protested, when a box of pastries Vernon had brought home went missing. The box had been found under Dudley's bed two days later.

"You never liked my Duddykins!" wailed Petunia. She was convinced that his dislike for Dudley was causing him to magic the treats to Dudley's room in an effort to keep him fat. His protests of innocence were not assisted by the arrival of a number of owls from the Improper use of Magic Office. The first was almost identical to the letter he had gotten from Mafalda Hopkirk in the summer before his second year. He had received a second owl the next day that was almost the same as the first, but with a more exasperated tone. He had written her back to say he had not performed any magic, but another owl had arrived today. This post was far snippier, and concerned yet another spell.

"Mr. Potter,

We have observed the third levitation charm in as many days being performed at your place of residence. We have no choice but to enforce the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. As you have contested performing these spells, an investigator will be dispatched to Number 4 Privet drive tomorrow to discuss these transgressions. Please have your wand ready for inspection promptly at 9:00 AM.

Yours Sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Mafalda Hopkirk

IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE

_Ministry of Magic_

Uncle Vernon was not pleased to know that an "investigator" would be arriving at his house.

"What do you mean?" he hissed. "Another one of you freaks… abnormal… AARGH!" Vernon screamed with frustration. He could see no recourse but to allow it. Who knew what the freaks would do if he didn't let the inspector in? A plan began to form. His purple face took on a more thoughtful expression. What if he told the inspector what a burden Harry was to his hard working family? Would he be able to get compensation? Would he be able to get rid of Harry for good?

At nine the next morning, Harry was waiting nervously in his room. He heard the doorbell ring, and started downstairs to meet the inspector. Uncle Vernon had opened the door, wearing his best suit. The inspector reminded Harry strongly of Mr. Crouch. Dressed in a suit even better than his uncles, and his mustache impeccably trimmed, he looked nothing like a wizard. Uncle Vernon was stunned. He had no idea that a wizard wore clothes like these.

"Good morning," said the inspector in a clipped, no-nonsense tone. "I am Bernard Montgomery with the Improper use of Magic Office. I assume you are Vernon Dursley, legal guardian of Harry Potter?" Without waiting for an answer, Montgomery swept into the house. "Where is Mr. Potter?" He asked.

"Here," said Harry. Vernon looked up and down the street to see if anyone had noticed the arrival of the inspector. Satisfied, he closed the door.

"As you know, Mr. Potter, our office has observed the use of magic in this house. Three levitation charms have been performed. This is very serious, as it might attract the attention of the muggles. We understand that your guardians here know of the existence of witches and wizards, but no exceptions can be made." Mr. Montgomery lectured. His tone of voice made it clear that despite Harry's letter to the ministry proclaiming his innocence, Montgomery did not believe him.

"But I haven't done any magic!" protested Harry. "This happened right before my second year as well, and it wasn't me then, either. A house elf named Dobby smashed a pudding…"

"That is not my concern, Mr. Potter." Montgomery interrupted. "I am here strictly for the three occurrences of this week. You say you didn't perform any charms? We will soon see. May I please inspect your wand?"

Harry handed his wand over to Montgomery, and the inspector looked it over. Vernon was looking extremely nervous. Montgomery took his own wand out of an inner pocket of his suit coat and placed it end to end with Harry's. "_Priori Incantato!"_ he said, and a ghostly ball of light was emitted from Harry's wand. It was sickly green, and covered with what looked like boils. "The Furnunculus Curse!" exclaimed Montgomery. "But our intelligence said the last magic performed here was a levitation charm!"

"I told you. I didn't do it!" said Harry. "I used the Furnunculus Curse on the train home from Hogwarts.

"Why?" asked Montgomery. He was looking at Harry with kinder eyes now, and it seemed that he was reconsidering something.

"Umm.. Well… I.. I" Stammered Harry.

"Nevermind," said Montgomery. "I'm sure nothing came of it." He handed Harry back his wand. "I find it most interesting that you did not perform these charms, however. I wonder if I could examine the rest of the family?" he asked. Vernon turned purple.

"Absolutely not!" he bellowed. "I won't have it! Not in my house! Out! OUT!" Vernon was incensed that the freak would just calmly ask to do some curse on his family! "You will not touch my family!" he yelled. "I'll call the police!" he added.

Montgomery looked shocked. He pointed his wand at Vernon and muttered "_Petrificus__ Totalus."_ A mist of light erupted from his wand, and Vernon went rigid. It was the total body bind. "Calm yourself," said Montgomery. He waved his wand over Vernon and muttered some incomprehensible words. "No, not here," he said. Montgomery then turned to Petunia and said, "This won't hurt a bit, Ma'am." Petunia went white and stuttered angrily, but Montgomery ignored her. With a wave of his wand, he muttered some more. "Well, there is a slight bit of talent there, but not enough to cause..." he muttered. Looking around, he asked Harry "Is there anyone else in the house?"

"My cousin Dudley," Harry said.

"Call him down, please," said Montgomery. Harry did so, and when Dudley had come down, Montgomery turned to him. He raised his wand, and Dudley's eyes went wide. His hands went to his bottom and clamped down on as much of it as he could. He was so large that he couldn't cover all of himself, but he kept them there. Harry smirked a bit, knowing that Dudley was fearful of getting another pigs tail like Hagrid had given him before Harry had left for Hogwarts for his first year. Montgomery waved his wand, and muttered his mutters for longer than he did for anyone else. When he was finished, his eyes were about as wide as Dudley's were. "Well, there seems to be two wizards in this house!" he proclaimed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two Musings 

Dudley Dursley was having a bad day. If you had to mention it, he was having a bad week, as well. First, he couldn't stop thinking about how hungry he was. Then, all of a sudden, all these treats kept flying into the room. _And never mind that the door was closed,_ thought Dudley. His horror at the flying sweets, (and the flying pastries, and the plate of leftover chicken his mother had said he couldn't have) did not extend to not eating them. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself. He did not know how these goodies kept zooming into the room, but he suspected Harry was doing it. His mother thought Harry wanted to keep him fat. Dudley thought so too. Just when his diet had started working, too. He had already lost almost a stone, but if the food kept appearing, he'd gain it back in a hurry. Then, to top it off, a man in a suit, but obviously a freak like Harry, because he had a wand, had waved it at him, muttering some hocus pocus nonsense, and he thought he was going to have to get another tail snipped off of him... He had to calm himself down. He was panicking. Anyway, the weirdo had said, "Well, there seems to be two wizards in this house!" He was trying to say Dudley was a wizard! That was preposterous! Insane! "I can't be a wizard," he moaned to himself. He winced and moaned some more as he remembered that was exactly what Harry had said when the bear man had told Harry he was a freak four years ago. Dudley wished for something to take his mind off of this. He wanted his teddy. He had tossed it years ago, of course, and he didn't know why he was thinking of it now, but just now he wanted his teddy. He remembered how he used to hold teddy when he was sad or mad, and the tears would slowly go away, soaking into the soft stuffed bear. He wanted teddy more than anything else, even more than Movie Monster Mayhem on the Playstation 2. He felt something leaning against his arm. He cried even more when he saw what it was, but grabbed it and softly fell asleep. The tears in his eyes slowly went away as he held his teddy close. It had flown in through the closed window.

If Dudley thought that being told he was a wizard was bad, Vernon could have set him straight. Being told your son was a freak, and being unable to move, speak, or do anything else for that matter, was worse. He still couldn't move, but that had nothing to do with the hocus pocus nonsense the weirdo had put on him. It was pure rage. With a wave of his wand, the man had removed the… What was it Harry had called it? The Body Binder? Horrible man. Despicable, really, to come into a mans house, his domain, petrify him, tell him his son was a freak, finally let you move, and then have the nerve to say more freaks would show up to take your son for testing! If they thought they were taking his Dudley, then he would show them he had his own ways of defending himself! He suddenly got to his feet, the shock of it all turning to purple anger. He went to the closet and removed from it his own wand. He called it a shotgun! No weirdo was going to take his son. He sat back down in his chair and waited. He would stay up all night if he had to.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three Examinations 

A knock on the door intruded on Vernon's dreams. He woke with a sputtered "Huh? Wha!" It was daylight out, and he realized he had slept the whole night in his chair downstairs, the gun resting on his lap. He brandished it menacingly and stalked to the door, opening it a crack. Two weirdoes in robes stood there. Flinging the door open, he pointed the shotgun at them and hissed "Get away from us!" Just as yesterday, they looked shocked. One pulled out her wand and said some nonsense word. Not seeming to realize he was no longer holding a gun, but an umbrella, he hissed again. "Get away I say!"

"Calm yourself, Mr. Dursley!" said the one who had pulled out her wand. She was a severe looking older woman, with her hair tied up in a bun underneath a pointed hat. She spoke in a Scottish accent and had a very no-nonsense manner. The other freak was an exceptionally old man with the air of someone who was extremely amused by Vernon. He wore dark blue robes, and had pure white hair that was as long as his beard. His beard alone was down to his waist. They walked into the house, and Vernon (who had just now noticed the umbrella,) was hoping the neighbors had not noticed them.

"Good morning, Mr. Dursley," the old man said. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I assume…"

"Do not speak of that… place under my roof, sir!" exclaimed Vernon. The severe woman looked even more shocked than she had before.

"Professor Dumbledore! Professor McGonnagle!" A startled voice said. Harry had either been already up, or awakened by Vernon's shouts.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter." said this McGonagall woman. "We have received a request from the Improper Use of Magic office to examine your son, Mr. Dursley." McGonnagle explained to Vernon, turning back to him.

"You will not!" exclaimed Vernon. I will not have you giving him another tail, or… whatever it is you are…"

"We would certainly not harm the boy," interrupted McGonnagle.

"Indeed not," agreed Dumbledore. "This examination must take place, if only for Dudley's well being. If, as you suggest, he is not a wizard, we will leave at once."

"Very well. You will soon see that there is no such foolishness in the Dursley line." Vernon said, curtly. He moved closer to Dumbledore, and lowering his voice almost to a hiss said, "But understand this: If you hurt my son, then your hocus-pocus will not help you. With gun or umbrella, I shall do my worst!"

Dudley was sitting on the couch. It was the strangest examination he had ever had. He had expected stethoscopes, thermometers, and strange instruments like doctors used. This Dumbledore just sat there and asked him questions. The woman with him asked a few herself. They were all about when he first noticed the food flying into his room, and McGonnagle had seemed a trifle curt when he answered "the first time." Daddy was there the whole time, and seemed to think the questions were foolish. All of the Dursley's, and even Harry, seemed to be shocked by what happened after the questions. Dumbledore had taken out some candy from his robe and put it on the coffee table. Would you like some, Dudley?" He offered. When Dudley reached for it, though, Dumbledore stopped him. "You can have it, but only if you don't touch it."

"But how am I supposed to..." Dudley found it hard to protest when the candies just slid across the table to him.

"Now, how did you do that?" asked Dumbledore. Daddy looked like he was about to have a stroke.

"I didn't!" protested Dudley. I don't even have a wand! When that other man thought Harry did it, he looked at his wand! Don't you have to have a wand?" Dudley panicked.

"Not necessarily," explained Dumbledore. "Some people have such great prevalence for a particular spell, that no wand is necessary to perform it. Nor an incantation. It is rare that it should happen to a wizard so young, and also rare that magical ability did not appear earlier in your life. It is not, however, unheard of."

"Well, I see no other solution, Albus," said McGonnagle. "The boy must be trained."

"I agree. For his own protection." Dumbledore replied. He turned to speak to Vernon Dursley, but Vernon was no longer there.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four The Justification Inside Vernon's Head 

Vernon could not believe his ears. Those people telling him his son would be trained as a freak! The nerve of them! Still, even if it was true, which it wasn't, then his son at least was a better wizard than Potter was. He didn't even need a wand. Ha! Vernon caught himself. Dudley was NOT a wizard! He couldn't be! But what if he was? What if Dudley really was a…? Vernon almost couldn't comprehend the consequences. What would the neighbors think if they found out? What would his work think? It was bad enough having Harry in the house, but at least they could try to stamp the magic out of him. How could he treat his son that way? This was all Harry's fault! Dudley must have caught it from him. Like a bad disease, Dudley had contracted magic. It wasn't Dudley's fault. It was never Dudley's fault. So what happens now? How is one trained in magic? What would happen if Vernon refused to allow it? That woman had said it was for Dudley's own good? Could Dudley be hurt by not being trained? Too many questions were flying through his head. He went to find this Dumbledore (silly name, really) to get some answers.

As he came back into the room, he saw Dumbledore crouching down below the fireplace. His electric fireplace was neatly placed on the mantle. A green fire was blazing, and a man's head was showing in it! Dumbledore seemed to be having an intense conversation with the head.

"…can't go missing!" the head was saying. "Five of them!" The green head was sweaty, and its green hair was mussed up.

"But they have, Cornelius. The sooner you acknowledge the loss of these fine people, and publicly, then the sooner we can all be united against evil." Dumbledore replied.

"There is no evidence that he is back!" the head was screaming. Vernon was extremely confused. Who had gone missing, he wondered.

"The only evidence is in the facts." Dumbledore said. "Five wizards have gone missing. All of them were good men and women. They did not go on holiday, and no one was told of any plans. They have been taken by Voldemort."

"You cannot prove that. And until you can, the ministry can take no action!" the head retorted. It gave Vernon a piercing look and, with a whoosh, disappeared. The green fire vanished with it. Dumbledore stood and looked at Vernon. Amazingly, Dumbledore had looked far more exasperated by this Cornelius person than by Vernon. Even when he had been brandishing his gun!

"The Minister of Magic," Dumbledore explained. "And far more trouble than he is worth, let me tell you." Somehow, it relieved Vernon to find that even wizards had troubles that even magic could not solve. It meant they were more like him than he would have liked to admit, but at least he could deal with that on a logical level.

"So, about Dudley," Vernon inquired, curtly. "What is this training you were going on about?"

"Dudley must go to Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained. "This must be done for his own good, and yours. If he is not taught to control his power, then he will draw far more attention to himself, and you, than can be explained." This frightened Vernon far more than Dudley being a wizard. Having people find out about it was worse!

"Very well, then," Vernon said, the vein in his neck pulsing. He was clearly not happy about this situation, but his reputation in the neighborhood must be retained! If his son was destined to be a… wizard, (he couldn't yet think of the word without flinching,) then at least his son would be a better one than that Potter brat!

**Authors note**: This was my first ever fanfic. I wrote this before book 5 came out, and it was my entry in a fan fiction contest on the forums I chatted on at the time. It tied for first place, and I'm very pleased with it. It is based on a single sentence that JK once said, about someone doing magic later in life. I know JK has said it isn't Dudley, but I had fun imagining Vernon's reaction if it was. I lost it for a long time, then found it floating in the back of my Yahoo mail account, where my Fiancé had emailed it to me a very long time ago. (She is now my wife of two years.) The very end was not included in what she emailed me, and I must have sent her a copy of it before I finished it. The bit where Vernon says "Very well, then," is my best memory of how it ended.


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